1977 TRANSATLANTIC CHALLENGE RACE 1 OULTON PARK (Part 1 of 2)

GB v USA 1977 Transatlantic Challenge Race 1 from Oulton Park, UK (Part 1 of 2)

[@gregwoodward4991]

I remember it like it was yesterday. Rode there from Widnes on my 400/4 Honda. And spent the day at.. Knicker Brook....45 years on I still have the (Enamel Badge) I bought on the day, Today its impossible to describe or put across what a Hero or how loved Barry Sheene was by Everybody..AMAZING TIMES

[@bikes02]

Thanks for posting this, I was there that day and in '78 too. Pat Hennen was a rising star and would have been world champion in 1978 if he had not come off in the TT that year that ended his career. He didn't want to race as he knew it was a risky track, but he was told by Suzuki GB team boss Maurice White that if he didn't race he wouldn't have access to the team truck or something similar on those lines(inside info from Chip, Pat's brother)

[@timcolder2789]

I have read they did think he would have been the first US world champion ahead of King Kenny if he had not had that accident at the 1978 TT races. Bad year for road tracks that year with several killed at the TT and Tom Herron and John Williams killed in Northern Ireland.

[@lewiscollins1045]

I was there that day, i was 15yrs old. memoris you cant buy them..

[@quartusbuys6831]

No tyre warmers, no computers. Barometers for jetting. GOOD OLD BALLS OUT RACING!!!

[@deepfryblue]

me & my mate were watching on Lodge basically behind the cameraman on that corner,the best bit of the track i thought to watch Sheene squirming & shimmying that bike all the way thru to keep up with the TZ's--we were 2nd year motor apprentices and mad keen bikers,great days

[@gregwoodward4991]

I was watching at..Knicker Brook... (God do i miss them 2 strokes) A great day in my life !!

[@tophand22]

Great video. Tx for posting this. Barry and Pat were still trying to sort out the XR23 652's during the '77 Transatlantic Races. Barry rode brilliantly in this race, and Pat demonstrated his growing speed. The XR23s were down on power some and the power the 652 engine delivered wasn't very tractable. Very short power band. But it was a beautiful engine to look at and work on. A real beast of a bike. Barry never liked the bike and Pat was never really particularly enamored of it, as well, but eventually got a handle on it and said riding it reminded him of riding a mile dirt track bike on a mile track in the U.S.

[@robertcostall9054]

They wiped the floor with us. Then the next year they brought somebody called Freddie Spencer

[@haroldland4620]

Great footage thanks ! I saw Pat Hennen race at the Cemetery Circuit on the RG 500

[@ianjones7266]

Fantastic! Sheeny, what a racer! Saw this field a few times at Cadwell. Wow, fantastic footage, the kid in the camo hat! Haha! I thought it was me for a flash. 1977 eh... what a year! I was expecting Phil Read on an MV. Showing my ignorance.

[@stevebigansky9372]

I love the "FORGET THE ELBOWS" comment - little did he know - RIP Barry Sheene

[@joeblow5037]

Great stuff! Thanks for posting. I was 19, and had just gotten off a 7 month cruise on the USS Nimitz. (Marine Air) I flew home from our base in S.C. (to OKC) and bought a '75 Triumph Trident (new out of the crate) and drove it 1350 miles back to Beaufort. those where the days :-)

[@PvtPopsky]

Great to watch that thanks for posting, but Barry’s comment at 13.37 priceless

[@peterround4818]

Was there on August Bank Holiday Monday 1975. Sheene became the first to lap Oulton at 100mph. He lapped everyone except Tepi Lansivori.

[@harrystephenson8279]

Barry sheen lived the life he wanted no bullshit he loved he life he had in those days RIP Barry sheen

[@Saint_Ann]

I remember watching Steve Baker at Sidewinders TT track near Portland, Oregon. He had more than road racing skills.

[@ericacarradus9152]

Been a regular spectator at Oulton since '83 and seen it evolve. It's only when you watch footage like this you realise how basic it all was back then. Run-off, what's that?

[@cabovermike]

I seem to recall kenny roberts being asked what he thought about the oulton park track, and he said"" it will be great when they get around to surfacing it" ,.!

[@alanmansell3375]

First time I have seen this I to Was there that day fantastic racing thanks for posting 😀

[@mickydebargos]

Nice to see the circuit like this before they introduced the chicanes to slow them down.

[@tomtaylor6163]

These races were great but the Factories wouldn’t allow this type of racing nowadays not enough jingle for them I reckon

[@carusmike]

I remember spotting the banner "TRANSATANTIC" and I have often thought of that banner. I thought I was the only one who ever noticed.

[@staceyroberts6044]

Remember this at the Transatantic races

[@dougfuters9072]

I was stood on Knickerbrook embankment, great day , good memories.

[@subbiejon6325]

that looks like Tommy Rob chatting with Barry about the handling

[@70sboy62]

Wow, some crowd in them days on the bridge and roofs of buildings, we had to go and watch no Internet, Sky or Eurosport then, glory days glad it was my era.

[@fastjaydub]

Forget the elbows. Little did he know God rest his soul.

[@keithdawson4804]

10:55 Surprised to see Roberts' bike wheeled back to the garage as I remember riders still capable to walk would line their bikes up before the finish line to score the lower points for their teams. (Visible in Brands Hatch race in 79)

[@CRIZZY131]

me my brother and my dad were there at lodge great memorise

[@simonbarrett6059]

Aah, Oulton before the chicanes and with some dangerously close Armco!

[@mikejames4271]

I was 6, playing in the sand at the side of Clay Hill.

[@gitaneVYS491R]

Really enjoyed that, good stuff.

[@tonyowen8349]

I was there I was 9 years old

[@keithdawson4804]

11:50 Sheene passing Baker made a two points difference (Barry gains one for GB, Steve loses one for USA)

[@wilspu5590]

Been back since chaps?

[@michaelsteven1090]

Back in the days when only one “camera” was on you,...and you knew it..

[@kmac5849]

What a dump oulton was in those days, trudging through mud on the circuit paths, railway sleepers and bags of straw lining the track 🙈

[@A-FrameWedge]

Kenny Roberts didn’t like Oulton Park, and didn’t feel like risking it all for exhibition races.

[@harrystephenson8279]

Those days you had to have nerves of steel to ride these bikes

[@ronantonio3631]

How can you have any kind of challenge when the participants are racing on motorcycles that were not manufactured in the country they were made in?

[@Trigsbroom]

What??

[@dirtydave2691]

@@Trigsbroom I guess he thinks the Brits should be on Triumphs and the Yanks on Harleys! Obviously not a Moto GP fan.

[@pabloperez4063]

What IS ThE riddle /anatema ??...i dont get you!

[@pabloperez4063]

@@dirtydave2691 italians only with Ducati And Aprilia, spaniards with Derbi And bultaco, french with Motobecane And germans with Kreidler

[@georgeclark2721]

First time I went Cal Raborn was kicking arse on his Harley sure there was a couple more to JPS Norton, BSA and Triumph triples and privateers too, Kawasaki, Suzuki triples in the minority, 1972 ish, is that challenging enough?

[@jaydonschneider7971]

🔥 🏁🏁🏁it's a real pleasure to watch🏎️🏎️🏎️ 1:41 🔥💃 👇👇👇👇👇💯

[@netharad4235]

Vive LUCAS 👆✔️💕🇫🇷

[@maggieandjim1934]

that announcer is really going out of his way to downplay the american efforts...oh well deal with it......

[@shivash1070]

Hahaha true that

[@robdickie9215]

So many deaths here

[@dogstar167]

Transatantic :)